Gland,
Switzerland: The
first batch of sustainable cotton – to be produced with a fraction of the water
and pesticide use of traditional cotton cultivation – is expected to reach
global markets starting next year.
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a partnership between major corporations
such as Adidas, IKEA, Gap, and H&M, and NGOs such as WWF, recently created
a new set of criteria to make cotton cultivation more economically,
environmentally, and socially sustainable.
The Better Cotton System outlines mechanisms to mitigate the negative impacts
of one of the world’s most water and chemical crops, which is often grown in
semi-arid and water scarce areas.
Cotton cultivation covers more than 2.4 percent of global arable land,
involving about 30 million farmers. Cotton is produced in more than 65
countries worldwide, mainly in the developing world.
“The Better Cotton Initiative aims to make global cotton production better for
the people who produce it and better for the environment it grows in” said
Walter Wagner, WWF Switzerland, newly elected vice-chair of the BCI.
Pilot projects are slated to test the BCI system in Pakistan, India, Africa,
and Brazil to provide sustainable cotton to textile makers and buyers starting
next year. For example, the initiative aims to reduce water and pesticide use.
Projects underway in Pakistan and India led by WWF and IKEA have led to 75
percent reduction in water and pesticide use, while increase the net revenue to
cotton producers by 70 percent.
“BCI endeavors to initiate global change in the mass market, with long-term
benefits for the environment, farmers and other people dependent on cotton for
their livelihood,” according to its website.
Original post here: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Panda.org
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